Mike O’Malley and Kirk Fogg rave about their Nickelodeon “big brother,” Marc Summers.
During a panel at 90s Con in Daytona Beach, Fla., on Friday, Sept. 13, the two former children’s game hosts reflected on their own experiences at Nickelodeon and offered advice to Summers, 72, who helped define the genre starting with Double Dare 1980s and later, What would you do? on the same network.
“Marc Summers was an extremely loving older brother and he really wanted Nick to succeed and he really learned a lot through trial and error, and he was really a phenomenal host and helped us both out,” said O’Malley, 57, who hosted Get a picture 1991 and later, Nickelodeon Guts from 1992 to 1995.
“He was someone who did a lot of live shows, live events — he helped everybody, he’s a real man,” O’Malley added.
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From L: Mike O’Malley, Kirk Fogg and Marc Summers host their respective game shows on Nickelodeon.
Nickelodeon (2); Marc Summers
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Together with Phil Moore (Nick Arcade) and Summer Sanders (Understand that), Summers, O’Malley and Fogg, 54, formed a special group of Nickelodeon kids’ game hosts that would define the genre of friendly competition for millennials.
When asked by PEOPLE at 90s Con if the five of them have a group chat all these years later, Fogg, who hosted Legends of the hidden temple from 1993 to 1995, they said they didn’t — but if they did, “Marc would be in charge of it.”
“I think we all feel a similar experience with Nickelodeon and we’re very proud,” added O’Malley. “We’re talking to Marc and Phil about this too – about what Nick was. We’re all at a point in our lives as well where we’re all looking back and looking back.”
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Kirk Fogg (center) hosts Legends of the hidden temple. Nickelodeon
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“They all have each other’s phone numbers. Our kids went to the same high school together,” Fogg said of himself and O’Malley. – It seems as if we are somehow old friends.
Fogg also said he was just “grateful” to “be able to be a part of this kind of show” that “lives forever.”
“I was a big TV watcher as a kid – I would watch as much as I could,” he said. “I really admire very good hosts. I loved all the gameshows back then and I have my memories of the shows I grew up on. I’m very glad that I have a positive show that I can stand behind for the rest of my life.”
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